I'm trying to play more shots, working on T20 game: Smriti Mandhana

Smriti Mandhana on Sunday said she has been working on her T20 game and looking to play more strokes, keeping in mind the number of shortest format matches scheduled in the next 12 months. "Personally I have been working on my T20 cricket since we have lot of T20s to play this year. So, trying to play little bit more shots then I used to playing," she said.

Mandhana will be leading the defending champions Trailblazers at the Women's T20 Challenge, scheduled to be held from May 23 to 28 at the MCA Stadium here. "We had a good T20 domestic season, so just looking to continue with this tournament. I'm not thinking about how I will be going about it but I will just try to enjoy it as much as I can," she said.

Talking about her side's opening match against Supernovas on Monday, Mandhana said the spin duo of Sophie Ecclestone and Alana King will pose a challenge but they have their own plans in place. "...we have our strategies ready, they have a good bowling unit especially the spin line up with Sophie (Ecclestone) and (Alana) King." Asked if there is any pressure going into the tournament as the defending champions, Mandhana said: "Not really, it is a pretty short tournament. You always get a new team, so definitely not thinking about it and putting unnecessary pressure on ourself, but yeah it would be good to defend the title." Mandhana also was effusive in her praise for Maharashtra's unheralded pacer Shraddha Pokharkar, who is one of the new talents in her squad.

"I think three or four years back I saw Shradda (Pokharkar), I always thought she has good potential and now when I saw her one month back, she was brilliant in nets. "She hits good length and she has a good height, so it is not easy to hit her length. She has a